Garlic Dill Cucumbers are perfect to enjoy all summer long. The cucumbers are crisp, flavored with lots of fresh dill and garlic. Serve these as a side with any grilled meat or seafood, any sandwich, as well as roasted potatoes.
These Garlic Dill Cucumbers are on my menu as long as fresh cucumbers are in season. Crisp, cool and crunchy, they are a great side dish to just about any meal and have just the right amount of dill and garlic to make them taste amazing. Plus, they are a cinch to make.
If you have even a smidge of Slavic heritage, you don't need an introduction to this classic garden favorite. I'll bet every Slavic family makes these cucumbers in the summertime. The combination of the dill and garlic give it that iconic flavor.
I personally don't love using lots of fresh garlic, where it is completely overpowering. The method I use in this recipe is the perfect solution - instead of assaulting the cucumbers with lots of minced raw garlic, I instead add the cloves of garlic that I first gently crush with my knife. The garlic gives a very mild kiss to the cucumbers, with just the right touch of aromatic flavor. With the addition of fresh dill, the cucumbers are SO, SO good.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers - pickling cucumbers are best for this recipe, or any small cucumbers
- garlic
- fresh dill
- salt, pepper
If you'll notice, I didn't include the measurements for all the ingredients. That is very intentional, since there isn't an exact measurement for this "recipe", it's all very much based on taste and preference. You can add as much or as little of dill, garlic, salt and pepper as you like. My main objective is to share my method for preparing these cucumbers.
If your cucumbers are a little soft, you can crisp them up by letting them soak in really cold water for 15-30 minutes. This is actually a really cool trick you can use anytime your cucumbers need a little extra pep. They get nice and crunchy just by standing in the cold water for a bit.
How To Make Garlic Dill Cucumbers
This is such an easy recipe! You can use a large mixing bowl to mix everything up, or a large ziplock bag, which is very convenient for picnics, potlucks and barbecues.
- Prep the ingredients. Cut the cucumbers into spears. Finely chop the dill. Peel the garlic cloves, but instead of mincing them, slightly crush them with the side of your knife, to release their flavor, but keep them mostly whole.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl or a large ziplock bag, mixing until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Refrigerate, covered, for 15-30 minutes, or up to a few hours before serving. The longer the cucumbers will be in the refrigerator the softer they will become.
- Serve cold.
What To Serve With:
- Roasted Potatoes
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Barbecue Chicken Cutlets
- Grilled Salmon Kabobs
- Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Garlic Dill Cucumbers
Garlic Dill Cucumbers are perfect to enjoy all summer long. The cucumbers are crisp, flavored with lots of fresh dill and garlic. Serve these as a side with any grilled meat or seafood, any sandwich, as well as roasted potatoes.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Category: Sides
Ingredients
- cucumbers, cut into spears
- salt, pepper
- garlic, crushed
- dill, minced
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl or a ziplock bag.
- Place the cucumbers in the refrigerator, covered, for 15-30 minutes, up to a few hours. The longer the cucumbers will be in the refrigerator the softer they will become.
- Serve cold.
This recipe was originally published on May 7, 2014. I have updated the photos and clarified the instructions, but we are still enjoying this recipe so many years later.
Hi Olga, do you think I can add tomatoes in with the cucumbers? ?Have you tried it and have any suggestions? Thank you!
Sure, why not?
Made them today .. served with grilled salmon and potatoes.. yummy.. cruces are so fresh and delicious.. and sooo easy to make. As always Olga! Your recipes are soo awesome and easy to make!
Does this use regular cucumbers or pickling cucumbers?
Pickling cucumbers will give you the best results, but it will work with other cucumbers too.
Hi Olga.
Do you have the proportions for each ingredient? I’m confused how much salt to add.
Season with salt to taste, just like you would for any salad. Add as much or as little as you prefer.
i read thru your recipes sometimes and they bring back so many memories (all good) - i just happened to have lebanese cucumbers in the fridge and dill, i always have garlic and salt & pepper. i couldnt just sit here with memories so off i went and made it up - theyre all in the fridge now and we may just add them for dinner. thanx 🙂
You're welcome, Vera. I hope you enjoy the cucumbers:).
Olga-
Thanks a lot for this yammmmmy cocumbers, loved them.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write, Natalya. I love hearing your feedback.
I've never has these before, how close do they taste to pickles? Or does just sitting in the brine a few minutes create a different flavor?
Hi Felicity! These cucumbers do not taste like pickles at all. These are fresh cucumbers with garlic and dill. They are not marinated or pickled.
This would be ok if I make the night before and store it in the fridge? Serve the next day ...
I wouldn't recommend it, Luba. As I wrote in the post, the cucumbers will get soft and mushy. They won't be as crunchy as they should be. If you don't mind that, then you can make them they night before. I never do, since it only takes a few minutes to make them right before serving them.
Hi Olga!
I am loving all your recipes and actually made your Borscht, summer garden salad and bulochki today, getting rave reviews from my family! I even ate the beet green for the first time, sauteed in butter and evoo!
I have a lot of left over dill, so I will definitely be making the above recipe soon.
I have a question. As I've never eaten authentic Russian food at a restaurant or otherwise, I don't know what dishes go together well. I would find it really helpful if one day, you could create menu pairings (side, bread, main, dessert etc) for example like a typical Russian Easter/Christmas/New Years/wedding menu, or impress the Russian in-laws menu, Spring Picnic Russian style etc
Have a great weekend!
Wow, I was surprised, and so was my husband, how quick and easy they are to make. We used to make ours in a jar with same ingredients, except also adding pickling dill and leaving in fridge overnight to 2 days. I prefer your method (storing in plastic bag also saves space in the fridge), my 8 year old daughter actually enjoyed making this with me. She was so proud for making something so tasty.
What a wonderful helper you have! Someday, I hope to have a daughter too:).
I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed the cucumbers. I like how space saving it is to keep them in a ziplock bag too.
Thank you Olga! We love these dill cucumbers, made these a couple of days ago, next time I will try your version without mincing the garlic into cucumbers.
Whenever I smell these cucumbers, I am reminded of a Russian wedding! :)) I think a wedding is not a wedding without this delicious treat. 🙂 Except we also add vinegar when making ours. Just a splash, but it makes all the difference! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe with others. 🙂
They sure are a staple at Russian weddings:).
This recipe looks yummy. I make 24 hour pickles using these same ingredients - I'll have to try this. I mainly came to comment because your expression "European face" made me chuckle. My Russian husband calls it "the face" & can identify other Russians in public by it. A while back, when I showed him your blog he said that you definitely have "the face".
Ha ha! I knew it:). Russian face, all the way!
Thank you for the recipe Olya! Just love it.
you look so much, to me, like an old friend of mine - she is 1/2 russian & 1/2 dutch - all europeans i guess are all the same 🙂